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Kuwait Lifestyle and Culture

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Preparing yourself to stay with new people can be a mountain to climb alone. This is why RocApply has made this functional guide to help you with the process of acquiring information on the daily routines to observe in the land of the Kuwaiti!

We are committed to making life easy for you! Apart from this, we can guarantee you that people here are as welcoming as it gets. You will certainly make a few friends with minimal effort here!

Kuwaiti culture is based on the desert tradition of hospitality and guests are treated with respect, warmth, and good traditions. Bedouin and Arab culture require the serving of tea and coffee often accompanied by nuts and sweets to those who enter any working space and some stores and to refuse are considered a denial of the host's benevolence.

Family ties are extremely crucial, with the man the undisputed head, and social separation between male and female family members are popular.

Food is an important part of Kuwaiti culture and is served in large amounts especially to visitors, again illustrating the host’s generosity. The Diwaniya, a separate room in homes and businesses is reserved for male guests, which plays a pivotal part in social life as it’s a place for relaxation and discussion between the boys.

Dressing respectfully is paramount, especially for women, with the typical vacation wear definitely not appropriate here, especially when visiting the Grand Mosque and religious centers, the souqs, and when dining out.

Although the country is basically a tolerant, semi-Islamic, society, religion is very important to its natives, and its rules are followed. If traveling visiting during Ramadan, the month of fasting between sun-up and sundown, it’s generally kind not to be seen eating or drinking until after dark, at which time you’ll see restaurants crowded out with Kuwaitis making up for their daytime deprivation amid much merriment and fun.

Basic Etiquette

  • Check to see if the host is wearing shoes. If not, remove yours at the entrance.
  • The appropriate amount of personal space depends on your sex and the person you are interacting with.
  • Men to men: normally an arm's length but it depends on how well the people know each other.  Friends and family tend to stand a bit closer.
  • Men to women: Again, depending on the extreme of one's religious views, arms-length is usually considered normal.
  • Women to men: An arm’s length or more is appropriate.
  • Women to women: Arm's length is appropriate but with Westerners, they tend to want to stand quite close.
  • Dress conservatively in Kuwait.
  • Show respect for the elders by greeting them first.
  • Accept any offer of food or drink. To turn down hospitality is viewed as rejecting the person.
  • If you are invited for a meal, there is often a great deal of socializing and small talk before eating, and the evening comes to an end quickly after the meal.

" Its a place to be" - Martin from Canada

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